11-year-old temporarily sent to foster care after giving birth to child 'fathered' by own brother

The newborn and his child mother have also been separated for their safety as an investigation is underway.

An 11-year-old girl delivered a boy at Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital in the city of Murcia in south eastern Spain on 2 February - Representational imageFRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images

Authorities in Spain have temporarily sent an 11-year-old new mother to foster care after it emerged that her teenage brother allegedly fathered her child. The baby boy has also been provided a temporary guardianship.

The long-term future of the five-day-old child born from an alleged incestuous relationship between a brother and a sister is yet to be decided. But local media reports stated that there are chances he may be given to a child protection centre or to emergency foster care or could live with his extended family.

The minor new mother, who has been discharged from the hospital following delivery, is now temporarily staying with a foster family in Spain, but the exact whereabouts of her son has not been released by authorities. They only said that both the baby boy and the child mother have been separated for their safety as an investigation into the case was still on.

"We have to wait now. An investigation is still ongoing and when everything has been clarified, we'll see what has happened and if we can help in some way," regional health authority chief Manuel Villegas reportedly said.

The parents of the siblings are believed to be Bolivian migrants. They have claimed that they had no clue the girl was pregnant and confirmed that the older brother is the father. However, the boy may not face any criminal proceedings under Spanish law as he is below the age of criminal responsibility.

Reports suggest there is high possibility that the girl could end up being raised away from her family if it is established that being with her family posed risk, else she would be allowed to return home but with social service supervision.

Citing Spanish daily El Mundo, Daily Mail noted that the little girl fell pregnant when she was just 10 but, it remained undetected even after her parents took her to a paediatrician following complains of stomach pain.

She delivered the child at Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital in the city of Murcia in southeastern Spain on Friday (2 February). Police said at this stage, circumstances indicate the two siblings had consensual sex.